“School: an educational institution; a building where young people receive education.”

Since the founding of educational institutions, common associations of primary school are brick buildings, drab-colored classrooms, chalky blackboards, fluorescently illuminated hallways, teachers young and old, and hundreds of schoolchildren intently listening to their lessons. However, through historical and societal development, traditional concepts of the idyllic brick-and-mortar schools have been replaced by more innovative, unconventional educational options. Today, working in home, library, or coffee shop environments is now an increasingly typical, preferred, and promoted school setting.

Within the past two decades, fully virtual educational institutes known as cyber charter schools have appeared in the United States and are becoming increasingly prevalent. K-12 cyber charters first appeared in the 1990s, offering typical courses that traditional primary schools provided and utilizing teachers, classes, and grades in the same conventional manner. The only apparent difference between the two educational models was the physical location of an individual: in brick-and mortar building or in home (or alternative) environments. There are now thirty states plus the District of Columbia that have certified cyber charter schools. According to statistics from the 2010-2011 academic year, approximately 250,000 students from kindergarten to twelfth grade were enrolled in these fully online schools (Woodruff). A significant shift in educational styles is happening in our society due to technological advancements, altering societal values, and the multitude of benefits that students can experience by opting for alternative schooling methods.

Nationally, the popularity of cyber charter schools reflects a trend of expanding online demand that appears to be student-driven (Niederberger). Over the past ten to fifteen years, in particular, cyber charters have made a noticeable impact on educational, social, and economical spheres. Just in 2014 alone, $49.6 billion was invested in the e-learning economy. Today, there are more than three hundred fully virtual charter schools in the United States, fourteen of which are just in Pennsylvania. These schools are either operated completely independently from public schools districts as self-functioning entities or are created and managed by a public school itself. Regardless of whether they are entirely separate or are an online version of a particular public school, cyber charter schools are required to be fully accredited by the U.S. Department of Education and must meet annual yearly progress (AYP) standards in order to remain functioning (“Cyber”).

Increasing trends of choosing virtual education over traditional schooling are happening for several main reasons. The first, and arguably most prominent, reason is undoubtedly the advancement and availability of technology. Throughout history, changes in education and upgrades in technology have gone hand in hand. For instance, in 1728 the world’s first example of a “distance-learning” was established in Boston, Massachusetts that relied on lessons taught through the mail. Two hundred years later, Pennsylvania State University began to offer various courses through the radio (Infographic). Students would simply tune in their radios to the proper station and listen to their professors teach their lessons. Later in the 20th century, telephone and television learning programs developed and became quite popular. In culmination, in 1969 the U.S. Department of Defense invented the Internet, which soon dominated the technological world. Today, the Internet and computers are extremely prevalent in most aspects of life, including – unsurprisingly – education.

Illustrating this fact, by 2009, 97% of brick-and-mortar teachers had at least one computer in their classrooms and 54% of teachers brought personal computers into the classroom. Furthermore, 40% of students used computers in the classroom during their instructional times with a student to computer ration of 5.3 to 1. Technology is simply modern life nowadays, with 90% of Americans owning a smartphone, laptop, MP3 player, game console, e-book reader, or tablet and 26% of Americans owning a smartphone, laptop, and a tablet. Regarding these trends, growing integration of technology within education and the existence of fully online schooling therefore appears connected, expected, and seemingly inevitable.

Additionally, the rising numbers of cyber charter students are undoubtedly tied to the variety of benefits that this schooling choice gives individuals. Online education offers students increased flexibility of schedules that tradition schooling does not. This is particularly valued for children who are different or exemplary in some sense compared to the typical primary school student, like student athletes who must take significant time off school to train/to compete, young musicians who take private lessons at music schools during the day, children with severe allergies or asthma, and kids with certain disabilities. Also, this flexibility and constant openness of classes allows students to work at their own paces, whether faster or slower (Lips). Consequentially, this has proven to cause better retention of information and to make success more attainable.

Another significant advantage of online school is the availability of high-level courses (“Online Schools”). Cyber charter schools often provide access to unique, honors, or AP/IB classes that students otherwise would not be able to take in their home districts, whether due to lack of money, teaching staff, or high enough academic ability of the general student body. This option allows students to obtain further educational opportunities and to experience intellectual development, which benefits individual character as a whole.

This schooling choice is even arguable from an economic standpoint. Students enrolled in public cyber charter schools do not have to pay any additional fees to get this alternative education. Cyber school is paid for in the same way as regular public schools: through taxes. Money comes directly from children’s school districts to support their education, not from parents’ pockets. Plus, all required textbooks and course materials are provided just like brick-and-mortar schools. In nearly all cases, cyber students even get an additional benefit: any necessary technology is supplied to them, including personal computers, tablets, virtual writing pads, calculators, and science equipment.

Besides each of the legitimate reasons already discussed, another considerably important plus driving the “absolute online” trend is that cyber schooling enables early development of technological skills that are deemed vital in today’s society. According to 21st Century Cyber Charter School, one of the top cyber charters offered in Pennsylvania, “Cyber school students enter college and the workforce with a leg up on other students, as they are already intimately familiar with how technology can be integrated into their work environment” (Glick). Cyber students learn to communicate effectively through email, discussion boards, blogs, and virtual classroom chats (textual and vocal). Students also learn the importance of networking; asking for assistance when needed; being self-motivated, dedicated, and independent; and being proactive when questions, clarification, or further work is required. Therefore, cyber learning not only provides technological knowledge, but also develops beneficial character traits.

Analyzing the general trends of cyber charter entrance quantities, the likelihood of further enrollment, development, and utilization of online schools is quite strong. Today, there are more than 300 virtual charter schools in the United States with over 250,000 enrolled students. Based on graphical and textual information, this upward surge will surely continue in the future, with more students opting for online schooling environments and more cyber charter institutions being developed.

However, virtual education still has many opponents beyond its growing proponents. Arguments about cutting valuable teaching jobs, taking money away from a home school district, not getting enough socialization, and performing poorly in terms of state standards/on standardized tests are frequently debated amongst wary parents, teachers, and state governments. While these are each legitimate concerns, cyber charter schools actually refute most negative beliefs.

In terms of school performance, most virtual schools actually receive higher average test scores than their public counterparts. The Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School’s average ACT and SAT scores (22.4 and 1515) are higher than both the state and national averages (21.9 & 1473 for Pennsylvania; 21 & 1509 for the country) (“Cyber”). Additionally, decreasing teaching jobs does not directly coincide with increased virtual school attendance. In fact, many teachers are simply switching from traditional schools to cyber instructional environments due to cyber schooling’s growing interest. Furthermore, although money is taken out of a school district to support a child who chooses cyber schooling, the same money would have been spent on the child regardless of where he/she attended school, meaning there is not net loss. Socialization is also a key element of virtual schools, with most taking bi or tri-monthly field trips, having in-house classes on occasion, and having live teacher-student tutoring sessions.

Even if fully online schools do not entirely replace traditional schooling systems in the near future, the “blended” schooling option of online and in-class classes will definitely increase as well (Goodin). According to an online public school enrollment study, current growth trends suggest that 50% of all courses in grades nine through twelve will be taken online by 2019. Reinforcing this allegation further, state education secretary Ron Tomalis has claimed about the future expansion of online education, “I think the days of old when you go to a school and [are told] ‘here’s your teacher, here’s your textbook and curriculum’ are over. I think blended learning will be more the norm in the future. It really individualizes learning. Technology allows us to have a platform that has a large reach.”